Tasks: Kamala Harris

Research:

Use the internet to find answers to the questions. Share your findings in a group or in class.

1. How does someone become vice president of the United States?
2. Are there any rules limiting who can become vice president?
3. What power does the vice president have?
4. Which branch of the government does the vice president belong to?
5. Why did Donald Trump refuse to concede the 2020 election?
6. How many vice presidents have gone on to become President of the United States?

Explain the statistics:

Study the statistics below and explain what it tells us. Suggest reasons for the changes seen. Source: Pew Research Centre.

Write:

Consider the following questions:

• What has happened in U.S. politics since the 2020 election?

• How was the transition between Trump and Biden?

• Would you say Biden and Harris were successful as president and vice president? What about Trump and Vance?

• What is the current state of the U.S. economy?

• Is the United States participating in international cooperation?

• Is there social unrest or large political protests in the United States today?

Task

Pick one of the options below and write a short text of 300–600 words:

1. Discuss whether Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have done a good job as president and vice president.

2. Discuss the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol: the reasons behind it and its consequences.

3. Discuss whether the United States has become more or less polarized under Trump.

Discuss:

Work with a partner or in a group.

1. Kamala Harris was the first woman and the first person of colour to become vice president. Does that make her a role model?
2. Does the election of Barack Obama for president in 2008, and Kamala Harris for vice president in 2020, illustrate that racism is a thing of the past in the United States?
3. Kamala Harris was elected senator in 2016, so she had only been in national politics for a few years before she became vice president. Is her lack of experience likely to make her job harder?